Curing a Case of Boredom
by liz1967
Summary: James, Tanner and Eve try to keep M from suffering the agony of boredom
1. Chapter 1

**See what happens when I get bored hehe**

Bill Tanner and Eve Moneypenny sat at opposite ends of a long conference table with stacks and stacks of files numbering in the hundreds piled so high neither could see the other end of the table.

"You and you're bright ideas" snapped Tanner as he took the next file off the pile in front of him

"I'm sorry...what did you say"

"I SAID YOU AND YOU'RE BRIGHT IDEAS"

"Look Bill...All I said was it was getting rather difficult to find the mission reports, and maybe we should look into finding a better filing system" retorted Eve as she stood to glare at him

"Well...for your information. The first rule in this office is never, under any circumstance make a suggestion because as soon as you do, it becomes your job to complete it..."

"Oh really...and what is rule number two?"

"Never make said suggestion when there is a lull in activity and M is bored because she will seize that particular moment to make your life a bloody nightmare" he said motioning to the files on the table

"Sorry" replied Eve somewhat apologetic "What's gotten in to her lately anyway? She seems more tense than usual"

"It's nothing to be alarmed about. It's just a severe case of boredom. She always gets this way when things appear to be "Slow" and or whenever 007 isn't around" replied Tanner

"Speaking of 007...where is he anyway?"

"Who knows. Since there aren't any current missions that require his presence, I suppose he's off relaxing somewhere while we sit here up to our eyeballs in paperwork"

"I never thought I'd say it but I miss having him around pestering me all the time. He kind of takes the pressure off by giving M someone else to spar with" replied Eve with a grin

"And just who is it that we miss having around?" asked a rather irritated M as she appeared in the door way

"No one Ma'am" said Tanner uneasily

"Listen you two. You are paid to work, not to chit chat. What do you think this is a tea party? I want these files in order and back in the file room by the end of the day!" she snapped

"But M..."

"No buts...You heard me. A little less chatter and a little more work." she said before disappearing around the door.

"It's too bad we can't give her something to distract her, at least until there is a mission or something" said Eve

"Yeah...too bad 007 isn't around to wind her up a bit. I think she secretly enjoys the stunts he pulls. "

"Why don't we call him" asked Eve

"Call who...007. She would kill us..."

"Not if she didn't know"

"But what would we say? 007 could you please be so kind as to come to work and keep M occupied for a while as she seems to be a bit bored?"

"Well why not? it's worth a try. Do you honestly want to wait around to see what little project she comes up with next for us?"

"You have a point." replied Tanner as he got up from the table

"Where are you going?" asked Eve sounding a bit puzzled

"Well I can't very well call him from here now can I" he said as he headed for the door "If she comes back...Tell her I went the to the loo"

Tanner made his way down to the very end of the hallway to the stairwell and then down to the floor below before he pulled out his phone and dialed 007.

"Hello?"

"007...Tanner here"

"Tanner. How are you?...is there a problem?" asked James

"Well no, not exactly" replied Tanner sheepishly

"What do you mean not exactly?"

"Look...I'll come straight to the point. It's M"

"What's the matter with M?" asked James sounding concerned

"Oh it's nothing serious...just a case of boredom and you know how she gets...Damn near impossible to deal with and Eve and I were just wondering..."

"I see...you were just wondering if I could come take her off your hands for a little while...is that it?"

"That's about the size of it. She just needs a little excitement to get her thru the lull in the action"

"And you thought of me, how thoughtful of the both of you. So how much is it worth to you" he asked with a laugh

"At this point the you name it" replied Tanner with a hint or relief in his voice

"What has she got you two doing anyway?"

"At the moment reorganizing the entire mission file room"

"She is bored isn't she"

"That's putting it mildly "

"Ok. Can you two last till the end of the day?" asked James

"Yeah...sure ...why?"

"Well a plan like this takes a little time. I will phone you later with the details. We'll give her an adventure she won't soon forget, I promise" He said

"Fine...I'll tell Eve., and Thank you 007"

"Don't mention it. The things I do for Queen and Country" he said with a laugh

TO BE CONTINUED...


	2. Chapter 2 Chapter 2

**Sorry...I know it's a bit wordy at the beginning. Hope you enjoy**

M arrived home around a quarter past eight. It was Friday night and since there seemed to be a lack of activity at the moment it appeared that she wouldn't be needed in the office in the morning. She entered her flat, deposited her coat and handbag in the hall and then proceeded to her sitting room, kicking off her shoes in the process, and heading straight to the liquor cabinet where she poured herself a rather large drink. As she settled in on her sofa she had her drink in one hand and the television remote in the other, mindlessly flipping thru the channels as she sipped on her drink. As she continued this monotonous task of trying to find anything entertaining she noticed that she was becoming increasingly tired "Who knew that a lack of activity could be so damn exhausting" she thought as her eyelids became heavier and heavier until she eventually dropped off to sleep. When she opened her eyes a few hours later she found herself in a rather large, soft four poster bed complete with a feather bed and a beautiful down comforter. "It's finally happened. I've lost my mind" she thought as she desperately tried to focus on the room around her that looked anything but familiar. As her mind began to clear it became immediately apparent that this was most defiantly not her own bed, nor was she in her own flat for that matter. She tried in vain to recall the events of the prior evening but everything seemed to be a bit fuzzy. She clearly remembered arriving at home as usual, she remembered pouring a drink and relaxing on the sofa and then nothing or rather nothing specific. She had a vague recollection of being carried by someone, but the rest of the evening was a complete mystery. She attempted to sit up only to find that her head was spinning to the point that she just leaned back against the pillows to get her bearings. "Well...this is a fine mess!" she thought to herself. After a few minutes M tried to sit again with more success the second time. She appeared to be in some sort of cabin. The room she was in was sparsely decorated, but for the most part would normally be quite comfortable, under different circumstances. She could tell by the abundance of trees she could see from the top half of the window that she was no longer in the city. The window was partially covered from the outside so that only the very top portion was un obscured. Due to her short stature, even if she were to stand on a chair she still wouldn't be able to see out. Deciding that standing on a wobbly looking chair was out of the question she decided to try the door which was closed. "Well...here goes" she muttered to herself as she tried the door. Surprisingly it was not locked, so as carefully and quietly as she could she opened it just far enough to peer out and check for the presence of whoever was responsible for abducting her. When she opened the door all she could see was the silhouette of a man sitting on a sofa with his back to her. She just stared for a moment at the man. There was something vaguely familiar about him even from the back , but given her current situation, she had no intention of finding out at the moment just why he seemed familiar. Her first order of business was to escape using any means necessary. As she looked around the room the only things available to use for a weapon was the wobbly chair or the bedside lamp. "I guess it's better than nothing" she huffed as she unplugged the lamp, yanking the cord free from the base. She made her way to the door and quietly slipped out as carefully as possible and crept up behind the sofa. Once she was sure he hadn't heard her she took the cord and leapt up from behind the sofa quickly putting the core around the man's neck and pulling back with all her might. There was quite a struggle as the man stood up gasping for breath as he attempted to free himself from the cord. He jerked forward causing M to lose her balance before he was able to turn and grasp her wrists pulling her the rest of the way over landing her on the sofa with him leaning over her holding her firmly to the cushions. It wasn't until she opened her eyes that she got the shock of her life.

"BOND...WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!" she shouted as she glared up at him with disbelief

"Waiting for you to wake up sleeping beauty!" he snapped as he released her rubbing his neck

"If you knew it was me in there, why didn't you come in and wake me!" she demanded

"Because I thought I would be nice and let you sleep a bit and let the drug wear off" he retorted "What the hell were you trying to do anyway ...kill me?"

"I didn't know it was YOU" she hissed as she sat up rubbing her wrists "Just what the hell are we doing here anyway?" she snapped

"I was hoping you could tell me!"

"Why would you think I know?"

"Well seeing as how you were the one in the nice cozy bed and I was the one dumped in a heap on the floor, it stands to reason that you had something to do with this" replied James sarcastically

"Well IF you were the one dumped on the floor, how did you know that I had been drugged?" she asked suspiciously

"Because" he said sitting hesitantly on the sofa beside her "I did try to wake you earlier and all you could do was mumble and roll over, so I decided to just let the drug wear off"

"Oh" she said quietly

All of the windows were covered like the one in the bedroom, each leaving just enough space at the top to let in a minimal amount of light. As she rose from the sofa she started toward the door.

"Don't bother...I already tried. It's bolted from the outside" he said flatly "And there's no use trying to break the glass because it appears to be bullet proof glass" said James as he rose to join her

"Alright Einstein...any brilliant suggestions?"

"How about some breakfast?' he answered

"James... do be serious"

"I am being serious. There's not much we can do until we know who they are and what they want so we might as well eat" he said heading toward the kitchen

"And just what makes you think the food is safe?" she said following along behind him

"Well I ate a piece of toast earlier and I'm still alive" he said as he turned to face her "Most abductors find it less than useful to kill the abductees until they have accomplished their goal, and since we don't exactly know what that is yet, I find it hard to believe that they would leave us here with a fully stocked kitchen of poisoned food"

M just stood there wringing her hands and staring at the floor. James could tell she was frightened and quickly closed the distance between them pulling her into a tight embrace.

"Don't worry M" he said tenderly as he held her close "I won't let anything happen to you"

"I know" she said softly as she leaned into his embrace

"So what do you say? How about some breakfast." he asked looking down at her "If it will make you feel better, I'll taste test everything first, then IF I die you will know not to eat it" he said with a grin as he leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead.

TO BE CONTINUED...


	3. Chapter 3 Chapter 3

**For RebaForever15. What can I say, my writing reflect my mood sometimes, but things are looking up for Me and for M. Don't worry I won't leave you hanging too long with this one.**

M paced around the small kitchen as James prepared breakfast. He could tell she was worried so he did his best to keep her mind off their current situation.

"Scrambled or over easy?" he asked

"What?"

"I said scrambled or over easy" he repeated as he held up two eggs

"Oh I don't care...whatever you want will be fine"

"I could make French toast if you prefer"

"I'm really not very hungry" she answered as she stood with her hands on the table looking down

James put the eggs down and stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders

"M...It's going to be alright" he said softly as he gently massaged her shoulders

"I just wish we knew what they wanted" she said reaching up to pat his hand

"It's starting to rain" said James as he pulled her back to him resting his chin on the top of her head

"All we need now is a leaky roof" she said with a light laugh

"I don't think we need to worry, this place is built pretty solid" replied James as he went to finish cooking their breakfast.

They ate for the most part in silence with M lost in her thoughts as she cautiously picked at her eggs.

"What did you mean earlier?" she asked as she put down her fork and stared at James

"When?"

"When you said this place was built pretty solid...How do you know?"

"I...well..I checked it out while you were sleeping" he replied as he stood up to clear the dishes

"And you're absolutely sure there isn't any way out?"

"Well none that I could find" he said as a loud clap of thunder made everything including M jump

"By the sound of it we're in for a pretty good storm" said James as he put his hand on M's shoulder

"Great..That's all we need" she said sounding a bit disgusted "Trapped in a cabin, in the middle of God knows where in a thunder storm. I hate storms" she said quietly

"Come on" he said holding out his hand "You need to relax. Let's go sit on the sofa where it's more comfortable"

M took his hand and followed him to the sofa where she just leaned back with her arms folded as she closed her eyes and let out a long sigh.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked as he leaned back with his hands behind his head

"I was just thinking how ironic it is that with all of the precautions we take, you and I wound up in this sort of predicament anyway" she said turning to look at him

"Well...I for one consider myself lucky to be trapped here with you" he said as he slid closer to her putting his arm around her and pulling her gently to him.

"Really James. Flattery only works when you mean it"

"Who says I don't mean it? I seriously have wanted to get you alone, without any cameras, microphones or security guards for a while now..."  
"What? Me...why would you possibly want to be alone with me when you could be with any number of beautiful, young women"

"Because I happen to care about you a great deal, and I never seem to have the opportunity to tell you how I feel because there is always some crisis somewhere...So yes I look at this situation as a little gift because I have you all to myself with no distractions or interruptions" he said as he leaned in to kiss her gently on the lips

"You can't possibly mean that" she said pulling back and looking away "I'm old enough to be your mother. What could you want with someone like me.?"

" What's not to want. I think you're quite possibly the most beautiful woman I have ever met, inside and out. You're brilliant, funny, warm and far more caring than anyone ever gives you credit" he replied as he lightly traced her cheek bone with his finger

"James" she whispered as she caught his hand "We really shouldn't be doing this, we should be concentrating on getting out of here"

"Maybe, but as long as we're stuck here we might as well make the best of it" he said with a mischievous grin

M eventually began to relax and was content to just let James hold her as they listened to the rain fall. As she leaned against him she found herself growing tired and it was becoming more and more difficult to keep her eyes open.

"Why don't you go lie down for a while." said James as he lightly kissed the top of her head

"I don't know why I'm so tired all of a sudden"

"Well it could be the after effects of the drugs or the lack of daylight or a little of both" he said helping her up "Go on, I'll be right here if you need me"

"Maybe you're right" she said as she headed toward the bedroom "You will wake me if anything comes up?"

"Well I'm not leaving here without you if that's what you mean"

"Thank you James..." she said with a weak smile as she closed the door

James just sat on the sofa smiling to himself. This couldn't have been more perfect. Tanner and Eve were happy because M wasn't breathing down their necks every five seconds, and He finally had her all to himself. It was the perfect plan, or so he thought as the storm began to grow in intensity and the thunder and lightning began to pick up.

It wasn't until there were multiple flashes of lightning followed by several very loud crashes of thunder that M began screaming at the top of her lungs startling James as he dozed on the sofa. It took him a moment to realize it was M before he shot up off the sofa and ran to the bedroom to find M thrashing about in the bed screaming incoherently with her arms flailing about in the air. James immediately ran to the bed and attempted to capture her arms before she hurt herself as he tried to wake her.

"M...M WAKE UP..IT'S ME JAMES" he said frantically while he held her wrists as she struggled against him with tears streaming down her cheeks "M..."

"James?' she said tearfully as her eyes finally began to focus on his face

"It's alright..I'm here...I've got you" he said wrapping his arms around her and holding her close as he rubbed her back while she continued to sob in his arms

"They're out there" she managed to say through her sobs "They've come back and they're out there"

"Who's out there?"

M just looked at him with nothing but pure terror in her eyes as she shook uncontrollably.  
"M... there's no one out there, It's just the thunder" he said as he continued to hold her

James racked his brain trying to think of who she could be talking about. The last time she had been in serious danger was when her body guard Mitchell had taken a shot at her, but that had been several years ago, then he remembered that she had told him once about being held hostage and being tortured when she was a young agent. It never entered his mind when he came up with this brilliant plan that it might bring back painful memories from the past and never in a million years would he have imagined that that they would still be so terrifying for her.

It took M the better part of an hour to finally calm down enough to release James from the death grip she had on him.

"Are you alright?" he asked as he kept his securely and protectively around her shoulders

"Yes" she said quietly

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not especially" she replied avoiding his questioning gaze

"It's ok M...I understand. I've been there myself" he said as he gently kissed her temple

She knew what he said was true. He was probably one of the few People who Could understand and yet she still couldn't bring herself to tell him what had really happened all those years ago. Truth be told she really didn't have to tell him, as she knew for a fact, that he had already read her personal file and was more than aware of what had happened, but still his concern was touching. It actually seemed as though he cared which was more than she could say for her late husband.

David never wanted to be bothered with the details of her missions or her injuries, and many times, when she would wake up with the nightmares, he would simply get up and sleep in the guest room leaving her alone and frightened. In the entire time they were married she never once remembered him consoling her, only chastising her for disrupting his sleep.

James started to pull his arm away once he knew for sure she had calmed down which only caused M to Panic.

"Don't worry M...I'm not going to leave you" he said kissing her forehead "I just thought You might like a cup of tea is all"

"Yes...Thank you"

"Stay here. I'll be right back" he said as he headed toward the kitchen.

Once he was sure she had, in fact, stayed in bed he put the kettle on and pulled out his phone and dialed Tanner.

"Tanner?...It's James" he said in a hushed tone

"James...So how is it going?" Tanner asked cheerfully

"Look...I don't have much time. Is the car where I told you to leave it?"

"Yes, but why?"

"Because I'm bringing her home!" he snapped

"But you've only been gone less than twenty four hours?"

"Yeah...Well I've run into a bit of a snag. This is by far the stupidest idea I have ever let you talk me into and it end's NOW"

"Hey now wait just a minute...you offered it I recall, so if she's in a foul mood it's your own fault" retorted Tanner

"I never should have agreed to this..." James was about to finish the sentence when he turned around to see M standing in the doorway with a look that practically broke his heart.

"Who are you talking to" she said with a pained expression on her face

"M...It's not what you think" was all he could say before she turned around and went back into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.


	4. Chapter 4 Chapter 4

**I'm apologizing now for any grammatical errors. Spell check only catches them it they are spelled incorrectly.**

"Tanner...I have to go" said James as he hung up the phone and walked to the now shut bedroom door. He waited a moment trying to work up the courage to speak to her before he lightly knocked.

"M..." he said quietly with no response

"M... may I come in" he asked again with no response.

James knew the instant he saw the look on her face that he had hurt her in a way that he wasn't so sure she would ever forgive, and no matter what he said , nothing at this point was going to make things any better for either one of them. He was about to turn away when he heard a noise coming from the bedroom and finally the door opened.

"M..." he said

"I want to go home Bond" she said coldly

"M...Please let me explain" he said as she walked past him

"There's nothing to explain" she said as she turned to face him, giving him a glare that made her usual death glare look like a radiant smile. "You've had your fun...made a bloody fool out of me...You know I actually believed you when you said you cared about me, but that was all part of the plan I suppose" she said as she fought back the tears that were now stinging her eyes.

"M...No one was trying to make a fool out of you" he said as he walked toward her

"I always knew they hated me, but I never realized how much until now"

"It wasn't like that, if you would just let me explain" he said reaching out the touch her arm

"Don't...Just don't" she said as she pulled away from him

"M...Please just let me..."

"No..I don't want any bloody explanation, I just want to go home NOW" she said turning away from him

"Alright" he finally said. He knew there was no point in trying to discuss the matter further so he unlocked the door and motioned to the waiting car just beyond the trees.

The ride to M's flat was less than comfortable as M did everything possible to not look at James. The silence was deafening. As he pulled up in front of her flat M finally spoke.

"I assume you thought to bring my keys" she said dryly

"Yes " he said reaching into his pocket and handing her the keys "I'll walk you to the door" he said as he started to open the car door

"That won't be necessary" she replied as she got out and marched up the stairs without once turning back to look at him

James stood there in the rain, staring at the door to her flat. He knew she was hurt and he knew it was his fault. He never should have lied to her, he never should have agreed to this idiotic plan, but it was too late now, the damage had been done and it was up to him to fix it.

M closed the door to her flat and leaned back against it with tears streaming down her cheeks. She Never thought that James of all people could be so cruel. Over the years she had come to think of him as more than just an agent, she considered him an friend, and the realization that he would do something so hurtful to her was almost more than she could handle. When she had finally composed herself she made her way to the sitting room and poured herself a large scotch. As she was about to take a drink the anger suddenly overwhelmed her and she threw the glass at the wall , shattering it as she buried her face in her hands and sunk to the floor in tears.

James went directly to Headquarters to see Tanner and Eve. This was just as much their fault as it was his. As he stormed down the hall toward M's office he passed the conference room where Eve and Tanner were busily working on the mission files.

"YOU TWO...M'S OFFICE...NOW..." he said sharply as he continued walking

Eve and Tanner looked stunned as the followed James into M's office

"Close the door" he said angrily as he paced about the room

"James...What is it?...What's happened?" asked Eve sounding concerned as she shut the door

"It's M" he said running his hand thru his hair "She's found out about our little plan" he said angrily

"Oh Christ" was all Tanner could say as he sunk into the nearest Chair

"That's one way of putting it!" retorted James

"But how?" asked Eve

"It's a long story, but suffice it to say..."

"Just exactly how mad is she?" asked Tanner looking up at James with a worried expression

"MAD" shouted James "I don't think you're grasping the seriousness of the situation. She isn't mad, She's Hurt"

"I don't understand" replied Eve as she slowly sat down

"She thinks YOU...WE all hate her and that we did this to make a fool out of her, especially me"

"But didn't you explain..."

"She wouldn't let me. If you had seen the look on her face when she found me talking to you..." James voice trailed off as he turned away from them

"James...This is ridiculous. We don't hate her, quite the opposite. We love her and we would never intentionally hurt her" replied Eve with tears in her eyes.

'What do we do now?" asked Tanner quietly

"I wish I knew" replied James

"Maybe we should try calling her" said Eve

"She won't answer. Believe me when I say that WE are the last people on the planet she wants to talk to right now" replied James

"But we need to do something, I mean we can't have her thinking that we did this to hurt her" said Tanner genuinely concerned

"I'll think of something, but for now I think we would be wise to just let her alone until she calms down and is ready to listen to us" replied James sternly

"But how long will that be?" asked Eve

"How long is a piece of string?" answered James

TO BO CONTINUED...


	5. Chapter 5 Chapter 5

It was a very cold, wet stormy Monday morning. The rain that had begun two days earlier producing spectacular thunder storms hadn't let up all weekend and according to the weather reports, showed no signs of letting up in the near future, much to the dismay of M who had arrived at the office early that morning, partially because she hadn't slept the night before and partially to avoid having to deal with her staff. The work day usually began around 7:30 a.m. or so and she had always been lenient about the occasional tardiness of her employees, but that was all about to change. M sat at her desk and waited as she glanced back and forth between her watch and the door leading to Eve's office. Poor Eve had no idea what she was in for when she cheerfully entered her office at 7:31 a.m.

"Miss Moneypenny could you come in here!" snapped M

"Good morning M, You're here awfully early" said Eve as she cautiously entered the office

"Miss Moneypenny, unless I am mistaken the work day begins at 7:30 a.m. does it not?"

"Yes Ma'am" replied Eve rather stunned by M's tone

"Then according my watch you are late"

"Ma'am?"

"According to my watch, which by the way is set to exactly the same time as the time clock it is 7:31, therefore you are late. Please see to it that you are on time and at your desk by 7:30 a.m. sharp from now on. This is you one and only warning. Do you understand?" replied M coolly

"Yes Ma'am" replied Eve quietly

"Where is Mr. Tanner?"

"I...I haven't seen him yet this morning"

"Well when you do inform him that I wish to see him, do you think you can do that?"

"Yes Ma'am"

"Oh and please ring 007 and tell him his presence is required immediately, and by immediately I mean NOW not two hours from now, is that clear?"

"Yes Ma'am" replied Eve

"That's all... You may go" said M "and please close the door behind you on your way out"

Eve backed out of the office not quite sure whether she should curtsey or run for her life. She had seen M angry before, but this was something entirely different altogether. As she sat down at her desk she still wasn't sure what she had just witnessed but one thing was for certain, If M said jump then that's what she would be doing. She picked up the phone and dialed James. He was not going to like being called into the office at the unholy hour of 7:30 a.m.

"Bond here" he said rather sleepily

"James...It's Eve"

"Bloody hell...Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do."

"Well what do you want? Is there a mission?"

"No... She wants to see you now and by now she means right now, not in two hours, Her words, not mine" replied Eve

"I see" he replied as he sat up

"Oh and James, I would wear your long underwear if I were you, It's a bit frosty in there"

"Right...I'll be there in fifteen minutes. Have you seen Tanner yet?"

"No, not yet"

"Well track him down and warn him. No sense in all of us getting blindsided first thing in the morning" he said "No on second thought just tell him to wait for me. Whatever mood she's in is our fault and we deserve every bit of the dressing down she is about to unleash on us"

"Right. See you in a few" she said hanging up the phone just as M opened her door

"Have you phoned 007?"

"Yes Ma'am"

"Any sign of Mr. Tanner yet?"

"No Ma'am. I'll do my best to locate him for you"

"Please do. I want to see the three of you in my office when 007 arrives"

"Yes Ma'am"

With that M walked back into her office shutting the door firmly behind her as Eve let out a deep sigh.

James arrived exactly twenty minutes later and waited with Eve for Tanner.

"What do we do?" asked Tanner with a look of genuine terror on his face

"We go in there and accept full responsibility for what we have done and pray to God that she forgives us" said Eve flatly

"No" said James quietly "It isn't an apology she wants. She is going to need more than that to prove that this wasn't meant to hurt her"

"Well what then?"

As James was about to explain further the intercom on Eve's desk began to buzz

"Yes M" said Eve timidly

"Have they both arrived?"

"Yes Ma'am"

"Then would the three of you come in"

"Yes Ma'am" she said casting a worried look at James and Tanner

The three of them entered the office and stood in front of M's desk with their heads held low as they waited for her to speak.

"Well...What do you three have to say for yourselves" asked M angrily

"M..." James started to say before she cut him off

"Do you have any idea how much trouble you are in? Drugging me, Kidnapping me, holding me against my will...lying to me?" she said glaring at them "I trusted you, I considered you three my friends, I repeatedly turn a blind eye to your antics even when I know they are things you should be reprimanded for and yet I did it anyway and this is how you repay me"

"M if we could just explain" said Tanner nervously

"You do realize that I could have you arrested for treason, or at the very least I could have you all fired" she hissed

Tanner and Eve knew she was angry and she had every right, but to threaten to have them arrested for treason without even giving them a chance to explain.

"M" said James quietly "It wasn't their fault. It was my idea so if there is to be any punishment then it should be directed at me"

"I somehow find that hard to believe since it was Mr. Tanner I found you talking to" replied M as she rose and walked over to look out the window at the intensifying storm

"Whether you believe it or not, it's the truth" said James as he took a step forward "We never meant to hurt you. I admit that the plan was ill-conceived from the beginning, but it was only meant to give you a distraction from the monotonous boredom that happens when everything seems to be running smoothly"

"Mr. Tanner, Miss Moneypenny...I have left a list of things I want completed by the end of the day in the conference room. I suggest that you get started immediately" said M as she motioned toward the door

Tanner and Eve quickly exited the office thankful that their only punishment thus far was only extra projects. James remained in the office watching M as she shuddered with every crack of lightning as she continued to stare blankly out the window. After a few minutes he moved to stand beside her waiting for her to speak.

"You know" she said quietly "I almost could have found the humor in this once"

"M...Please believe me when I say that my intent was never to hurt you" he said with a crack in his voice "I only wanted to be alone with you and I saw this as the perfect opportunity, I just hadn't planned on the storm or the memories it would bring back"

"You broke into my flat, yet again, You drugged me, You kidnapped me, you held me against my will making me think my life was in danger" she said as tears began to form in her eyes "And then to top it off you tried to seduce me under false pretenses...You lied to me. There were about a million different ways you could have found to be alone with me if that's what you really wanted. I was just another conquest to you. Just another notch in your belt. I trusted you...I really believed you and that's what really hurts, because I honestly thought you cared, but I was wrong and I won't be making that mistake again"

"You're right" said James turning her to face him.

"I did do all of those things and I deeply regret it." said James with a tear sliding down his cheek "I did drug you, kidnap you, hold you against your will and that was all a lie, but I meant what I said when I told you that I care about you and I wanted to be with you. You were never just another conquest or another notch in my belt. It scared the hell out of me when you woke up screaming and all I wanted to do was hold you and comfort you and love you. I saw how terrified you were and I knew that taking you there was a mistake, that's why I phoned Tanner and told him I was bringing you home."

"I wish I could believe that" she said dryly

"I will do whatever it takes to make you believe me" he said reaching out to cup her cheek

"You're training has served you well. You could almost charm the skin off a snake if you wanted. but I will not be falling for that again." she said coldly "You are to report to the Duty Commander down at the local police station. They are in need of extra security due to the storms. With the wide spread flooding and power outages your services will be invaluable to them"

"Did you not listen to a word I said?"

"Furthermore, you will refrain from breaking into my flat from now on. Our debriefings will take place in the office" she snapped pulling away from him

"M..."

"007...from now on our relationship will be strictly professional. If you feel the need to see me then you may make an appointment with my secretary...Is that clear!"

"Yes Ma'am" was all he could manage to say

"Then I suggest you get going. The Duty Commander is expecting you"

As James left her office, M turned back to the window. Ending a friendship was the hardest thing she had ever done, and it was tearing her apart inside, but he had crossed a line. The worst part was that she did love him, against her better judgment, and as much as she wanted to believe him, it was clear at least to her that he was only toying with her emotions and could no longer be trusted.

TO BE CONTINUED...


	6. Chapter 6 Chapter 6

**For RebaForever15: see that wasn't so long now was it hehe**

M sat in her office desperately trying to concentrate as the wind and the rain continued to pound against her window constantly drawing her attention away from her work. It didn't help that every few minutes a flash of lightning followed by a loud crash of thunder caused her to jump making it even more difficult to concentrate. After about an hour of accomplishing nothing really M decided to just go home. She saw no sense staying at the office since she had no one to talk to what with Tanner and Eve busily attempting to finish the list she gave them and James, Poor James out in the storm. "Poor James my foot" she muttered to herself as she made her way down to the waiting car.

"Ma'am...are you sure you really want to go out in this?" asked her driver as he held the door for her

"Yes" she said looking up at the dark, rainy sky "I'm sure"

James on the other hand was having a less then grand time guarding the entrance to the tube station which was now flooded while trying to keep an eye on the nearby shops as they had no power.

"Mr. Bond...the latest predictions are for gale force winds. We have reports of trees down all over the city and wide spread power outages. It's been determined that it is no longer safe to be out on the streets, so I suggest that you head for higher dry ground to wait out the storm" said the Duty Commander as he jumped back into his military style vehicle

James didn't need telling twice as he started trudging back to the office thru the now knee deep water. On the way he pulled out his phone and dialed Tanner who was presumably still working on the impossibly long list of tasks M had given him.

"Tanner...It's James"

"James...where are you?"

"At the new water park they call London proper" he snapped "Where's M" he asked

"She left about an hour ago"

"What do you mean she left?" he said as he grabbed a lamp post to avoid being blown over by a gust of wind

"She called her driver and went home" replied Tanner "Why?"

"Because they are predicting one hell of a storm with gale force winds and she would be safer at the office"

"Well that may be, but you and I both know that when she gets an idea in her head it's pointless to try to talk her out of it and judging by her current mood she wouldn't have listened to me anyway"

"Any chance you can get to her flat and bring her back?"

"Not unless I borrow a mini submarine from Q branch. Have you seen the flooding?"

"Seen it...I'm in it" replied James as another gust of wind caught him spinning him around "Look, whether she likes it or not I'm heading over to her flat to bring her back. There are reports of trees and power lines down all over the city and she has one monster of an oak tree that's just waiting for the right gust of wind to send it sailing into her house"

"Where are you now?" asked Tanner, suddenly very worried. He knew exactly which tree James was referring to and it was not out of the realm of possibilities that it would in fact topple over at any given moment

"I'm near Covent Garden. Unless I can find an alternate mode of transportation it looks like I'll be walking"

"Just be careful...I'll do my best to contact M and let her know you're on your way"

It took M the better part of 2 hours to get to her flat. Ordinarily the trip would have only taken about ten minutes but due to the flooding and the downed trees and power lines her driver was forced to take a less than direct route.

"Are you absolutely sure you want me to leave you here alone" asked her driver as he escorted her up to her door

"I'll be fine" she replied as she unlocked the door and went in.

Her flat was dark and much to her annoyance when she flicked the light switch she discovered that her power was out. "Perfect end to a bloody perfect day" she muttered as she fumbled around for a torch so she wouldn't kill herself in the dark. She was physically and emotionally exhausted and being that she had no power that also meant that she had no running water so taking a nice long, hot, relaxing bath was out of the question. "May as well attempt to get some rest" she thought as she kicked off her shoes and made her way upstairs to her bedroom where she promptly collapsed on the bed.

She laid there for a long time just listening to the wind howl as the branches of the oak tree rhythmically slammed against the side of the flat and the rain pelted against the windows. Every few minutes there was a flash of lightning followed by a loud crash of thunder. It almost sounded like an all natural brass band complete with a light show. M closed her eyes and began to drift off to sleep as she heard a large bang followed by the sound of shattering glass and suddenly there was debris and multiple tree branches filling her bedroom along with the torrents of rain. When she tried to move she found that she was in fact effectively pinned to the bed by a combination of tree branches and parts of the roof. As she laid there she began to cry. Her worst nightmare was finally coming true. She was going to die, alone and afraid. that was her last thought as she closed her eyes and prepared to accept her fate.

James had all but given up the idea of walking the distance to M's flat. He has used his charm to convince a garbage truck driver to take him the rest of the way, telling him that his wife was home alone and was afraid of storms. The truck driver finally agreed after hearing the story and after James gave him all of the money he had in his wallet. As they turned onto M's street James face suddenly displayed a look of total horror.

"Sure wouldn't want to be that homeowner" quipped the driver as he looked at James

"Oh Christ" he shouted as he opened the door and jumped out of the still moving truck and sprinted toward the flat

All James could see was the oak tree, or rather the trunk of the tree with the top buried in what was left of the second floor of M's flat and branches sticking out every which way making it nearly impossible to tell that there even was a second floor.

When he reached the door he found it locked naturally so having no other choice he kicked it open in order to gain access.

"M" he screamed at the top of his lungs "M...WHERE ARE YOU?"

He searched frantically around the first floor before he stopped at the foot of the blocked steps leading to what was left of the second floor and his heart literally skipped a beat.

"M" he yelled as he cautiously made his way up the stairs, climbing over limbs and branches

M had all but given up trying to free herself from the tree when she thought for a split second that she heard James. "That's impossible" she thought to herself as the tears streamed down her face "Why would he come here after what I said this morning?"

"M...ARE YOU UP HERE?" he yelled as he continued to fight his way back to her bedroom

"JAMES?" she called back

When James finally made it to the bedroom he was horrified at what he saw. The majority of the top of the tree managed to land on M's bed and he could just make out her figure thru the branches

"M" he shouted frantically as he began climbing over the branches to get to her

"James" she cried as she held out her hand "I'm here"

"Are you hurt?" he asked when he was finally close enough to grasp her hand

"No, but I can't seem to free myself" she said as she tightly gripped his hand

"Don't worry, I'm here, It's going to be alright. I'll get you out" he replied as he began pulling back the branches to determine just what they were dealing with.

James could see by the way the tree was leaning that any attempt to move it could cause it to fall on M crushing her instantly.

"M...I'll be right back" he said leaning down to kiss her forehead

"James..." she started to say

"Shhhh...We'll talk about it later" he said "Let's just get you out of here first" he said with a wink

James rushed out of the room only to return a few minutes later with what was left of a chest of drawers which he promptly put under the limb near M's head.

"M...I want you to put your arms above your head and I'm going to pull you through by your feet ok" he said as he stood at the foot of the be with his hands around her ankles

"Ok" she said nervously

"On the count of three I'm going to pull. One...Two...Three" he said as he gently but firmly pulled her out from under the limb and not a moment too soon as it promptly fell where she had been laying.

M just stared at the bed as James gathered her into his arms, holding her close as he repeatedly kissed her forehead

"Hey you two" said a voice from the top of the stairs "We need to get out of here"

M just looked at James as he put his arm around her and began to guide her thru the mine field that was now her hall toward the stairs. A hand reached out and took old of her arm gently guiding her down the stairs with James close behind. Before they reached the door James quickly darted into the sitting room grabbing her handbag, shoes and a blanket to cover her as they made their way out into the storm to the garbage truck waiting at the bottom of the stairs.

"Where to?" asked the driver as he looked at the two of them

"The office...My Flat" they said simultaneously

"Well...which is it?" asked the driver sounding rather perplexed

"MY FLAT" said James firmly as he cradled M in his arms.

She had to admit, she was too tired, wet, cold and frightened to argue with him at this point

"His Flat" she said quietly as she leaned against him with her head on his shoulder.

TO BE CONTINUED...


	7. Chapter 7 Chapter 7

**thank you to all who** **read and reviewed. Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

As the truck eventually pulled up outside James' flat he jumped out into the rushing water and reached up to help M down. Seeing that the current was going to be too much for her, James gently picked her up and carried her the short distance to the door. Once they had made it into his flat he carefully set her down and took a step back and just stared at her.

"What are you looking at?" she asked quietly

"You" he said as he reached out to cup her cheek with his trembling hand

"After everything I said this morning, Why did you come for me?" she asked as a tear slid down her cheek

"Because I Love you" he replied pulling her into a tight protective embrace as he buried his head in the crook of her neck.

They stayed locked in the embrace, clinging to one another for several minutes before M finally pulled back to look at him. As she gazed into his incredibly blue eyes she could see the tears slipping one by one down his cheek.

"What's this?" she said gently wiping away the tears

"I thought I lost you." he said as he caught her hand, lightly kissing her fingertips "When I saw the flat and the tree and then when I couldn't find you..."

"But you did find me"

"Please forgive me" he said as he pulled her back to him and held on to her as if his life depended on it

"James..." she started to say as he leaned down and kissed her deeply and much to his surprise she kissed him back.

"You have a very eloquent way of apologizing" she said breathlessly as she leaned her head against his chest

"I just couldn't bear the thought of losing you, much less losing you with you hating me" he said as he rested his chin on top of her head, all the while keeping a firm hold on her.

James phone began to ring and much to his annoyance he fumbled around in his pocket and at M's instance answered it

"Yes Tanner...What is it?" he asked sounding rather irritated

"Did you make it to M's flat?...Is she alright?"

"Yeah...I've got her, She's fine" he replied as he leaned down to kiss her forehead

"Thank God. Look there's trees and power lines down all over the city and wide spread flooding as well. I can send a team to pick you two up..."

"That won't be necessary, but I do want you to send a team to secure M's flat or rather what's left of it"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHAT'S LEFT OF IT" shouted Eve hysterically

At this point James thought it would be a good idea to put them on speaker phone so M could hear for herself just how much Eve and Tanner cared about her.

"I'm sorry Eve...didn't quite catch that could you repeat it for me" replied James with a slight smile

"James...you know damn well what I said. How Bad is the damage?...Is M alright?...Do you need us to send a medical team?..I know that travel is difficult at the moment, but we can send a helicopter if needed..."

"Look you two, she's fine...she's standing right hear listening to every word you're saying" he said looking down at M with a bit of a crooked grin "Go ahead...Tell them you're fine" he said handing her the phone

"I'm fine you two, but I want you to promise me that you will stay where you are. It isn't safe out there at the moment and I don't want to have to worry about you as well do you hear me?" she said sounding a bit parental

"Yes Ma'am" they both said in unison

"And enough with the Ma'am crap, Friends don't have to be so formal" she said with a smile as she gave James a light squeeze

"So if you don't mind our asking...Just exactly where are you?" asked Tanner curiously

"We're at my flat at the moment. We're going to wait out the storm and then we'll be in later" replied James as he took the phone back and hung up rather abruptly

"I don't think he was finished" said M with a small grin

"Trust me...He was finished" replied James as he leaned down and kissed her soundly "We need to get you out of these wet clothes" he finally said as he released her "Your shivering"

"Well if I'm shivering, it isn't because I'm cold" she replied sounding suddenly very serious

"Then what is it?"

"James" she said as she walked over to sit on the sofa "What did you plan to do if you had gotten there and the tree hadn't fallen?" she asked hesitantly

"Well intended to calmly ask you to come with me back to the office where you would be safe" he replied as he sat beside her

"And what if I had refused?"

"Then I would have carried you out kicking and screaming"

"But why did you come after I expressly told you not to ever come there again?"

"Because" he started as he put his arm around her and leaned back against the cushions "After our latest ill-conceived adventure I now know how frightened you are of storms and I didn't want you to be alone"

"But after the way I treated you..."

"And you had every right. What I did was incredibly stupid. When you woke up screaming, all I wanted to do was hold you and tell you that everything was going to be alright and when I saw what it did to you the only thing I could think of was getting you home where you would feel safe"

"Oh"

"I can't imagine how you have dealt with those memories since your husband died, I mean just thinking of you having to go through this alone..."

"That's the way I have always dealt with this" she said quietly

James just looked down at her with a puzzled look

"Didn't he help you through them?"

"His idea of helping was to sleep in the guest room and then moan about how I interrupted his sleep the next morning" she said dryly "He hated my job and everything connected with it. It got to the point where he couldn't bear to look at me because of all the scars , and the nightmares that went with them. He was elated after the last mission where I had been shot because it meant that he wouldn't have to deal with the aftermath anymore as I would be behind a desk"

"Let me get this straight...He never tried to console you or help you?" James said angrily

"As long as I was able to keep him in the lifestyle he had become accustomed to he really didn't care what happened to me" she said as her eyes began to water "So when you came rushing in to hold me...It was hard for me to accept that you could care enough to want to be there, and then when I heard you on the phone..."

"You thought it was all an act"

"What else could I believe? No one has ever done that for me before" she said softly

"But surly you knew that I care about you, I had just told you that I did not an hour earlier"

"David used to tell me he loved me, but they're just words if you never do anything to prove it. You did and it scared me I guess... "

James stood and pulled M up with him and began guiding her to the bedroom grabbing a candle from the table on the way past.

"What are you doing?" she asked sounding a bit worried

"Just trust me" he said as he lit the candle, placing it in the chest of drawers.

James turned to face her placing his hands on her shoulders as the candle cast a warm glow around the room

"I want you to take off your blouse" he said quietly

"James...I..."

"Just trust me" he said as he leaned in and kissed her cheek

M's hands trembled as she removed her blouse. She made a feeble attempt to cover her scared arms, but James took her hands and pulled them down to her side so he could clearly see the scars. Then he took a step forward and leaned down and kissed her arm where the scars were clearly visible.

"What are you doing?" she asked quietly as a tear slid down her cheek

As he pulled back he removed his own shirt revealing many similar looking scars

"We're not so different you and I" he said as he took her hand placing it on one of the many scars on his chest "You have nothing to be ashamed of"

M reached up and pulled him into a deep, passionate kiss to which James responded by wrapping his arms around her, holding her close as he quickly removed the rest of their wet clothes. Once the clothes had been removed, he picked her up gently placing her bed, climbing in beside her and covering the two of them with a soft, warm blanket.

"You do realize that we now have a new problem to deal with" he said as he held her close

"And what would that be?" she asked as she snuggled closer, resting her head on his chest

"Well given the condition of your flat, I highly doubt that you will be going back there anytime soon"

"Speaking of my flat, What the hell happened to my front door?"

"Must have been the wind" he said with a grin

"Since when does the wind have a footprint?"

"Well what did you expect me to do? climb the tree? I'm not Tarzan you know, and let's not forget, you're the one who locked the door" he said teasingly

M just giggled as she leaned up to kiss his cheek

"Anyway back to the problem with the flat..."

"I suppose I'll stay in a hotel until it's repaired" she said rather matter of fact

"Like hell you will. After what you've been through, you're going to stay right here!"

"I can't do that...What will people think?"

"I don't give a monkey's arse what they think."He said propping himself up on his elbow so he could look down at her "I never want you to be alone again." he continued as he brushed a few stray hairs from her forehead "I love you and I want to be there to protect and defend you from all things real or imagined"

"What about the trees?" she said with a grin

"Yes...even the trees" he said with a laugh "Who would have ever thought that in our line of work the tree was what almost got you in the end"


End file.
